Series Preview: Blue Jays Look to Pillage the Royals

Jul 9, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals first baseman

(35) is congratulated by catcher

(13) after scoring in the fifth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

The Royals continue to pace the AL Central by 5 1/2 games over the second place Twins. They did suffer a big blow when Alex Gordon, their all-star starting outfielder, tried to track down a ball and that resulted in a 8 week stay on the disabled list for a strain of the groin muscle…yeah ouch. It will hurt a little but the Royals have enough depth in their roster they should be able to weather this storm without much issue. As of this writing the Royals are the only team in the American League with 50 wins and a team ERA of 3.53, good for second in the American League behind Oakland. They’re good. Really good. The kind of good bad teams seem to play up to the level of the kids they are pitching to nos.

Jul 5, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher

(25) pitches in the second inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Game 1: Marco Estrada (6-4, 3.59 ERA) vs Danny Duffy (2-4, 5.14 ERA)

Estrada is continuing to baffle hitters and his own teammates. He is limiting the number of home runs allowed and is getting more groundballs as well and it is paying off. He tends to ride high pitch counts and thus doesn’t go very deep into games but he is doing a great job so far. Does this secure him with a spot in the rotation for the rest of the season? Well if the Blue Jays continue to keep Derek Norris in the minors then yes. If they make a trade for a starter he wouldn’t be the first one asked to leave the rotation (hello Felix Doubront). If he resorts back to the guy he was when he was with Milwaukee (aka the champeen of the world in giving up home runs) then Felix might edge him out.

Danny DUffy is in the starting rotation by default it seems. He owns an 11.42 ERA against the Blue Jays and is trying to fight his way back from his stint on the DL three starts ago. His 3.90 ERA going into this season shows he has the stuff to stay in the rotation but he needs to get there soon. With the Royals leading a very competitive AL Central they can’t afford to throw games away with bad starting pitching. If the Royals pick up an arm on the trade market you could see him shuffled to the pen. Until then he is getting the chance to bring himself back to where he was before 2015.

Jul 1, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher

delivers a pitch against the Boston Red Sox at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

Game 2: Mark Buehrle (9-5, 3.38 ERA) vs Chris Young (7-4, 2.89 ERA)

The burly Buehrle continues to baffle and amaze. With a repertoire of slow and slower, he has managed to bring down his ERA every game in his past 11 starts.  He still gives up hits but he keeps his walks down and that attributes directly to his WHIP of 1.19 even though his BAA against is .265. The Royals should be an interesting match-up for him but until he does falter I see no reason to think he will drop the ball on this one. He’s like the Blue Jays own distorted version of Greg Maddux out there. Spot the ball and the batter will be yours.

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Chris Young is a big dude. He is 6’10” tall and throws a great live fastball. In 4 of his past 6 starts he has given up 1 or no runs. HIs ERA reflects that. It doesn’t reflect the off games where he gives up 6 or 7 runs. Those are truly blips that every pitcher goes through at some point during a season. With a 1.01 WHIP and a BAA against of .202 this may be the kind of guy to give the struggling Blue Jays bats absolute fits. Tell you what though…this is going to be one heck of a pitchers duel.

Jul 3, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Felix Doubront pitches in the sixth inning against the Detroit Tigers pitches at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Game 3: Felix Doubront (1-0. 200 ERA   vs Edinson Volquez (8-4, 3.40 ERA)

What to say about Mr. Doubront…well he did a pretty bang up job in his first start against the White Sox. That is only 1 game though. He was a super prospect in the Red Sox organization but was never able to fulfill his obvious potential. He has gone from the prototypical flame thrower to the prototypical guy -who-got-older-and-wiser that realized heat doesn’t get you the outs. stuff and location can. If he has truly learned that lesson then he may be the boost to the rotation that is needed…for now a work in progress.

Volquez has had a slow start to his career. Bouncing around 5 teams in 5 years. The last couple though he seemed to finally settle down into a decent MLB starter. he is getting his ground balls and a decent number of strikeouts. Heis most likely the journeyman type of pitcher. Looks good for you bet never good enough that you wouldn’t consider bumping him out of the rotation for something better. He may never match his breakout 2008 campaign but it sure gets you in the door. He may be a valuable trading chip right now if the Royals feel there is someone to replace him….stay tuned.

Jul 4, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Toronto Blue Jays right fielder Jose Bautista (19) in the dugout against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Players to Watch

For the Blue Jays it may appear that most of the team needs to step it up and get over this summer season funk. If there is someone who bears watching it’s Jose Bautista. He is to good to be where he is right now. If he pounds the Royals it will give him some confidence going into the all-star game in Cincinnati.He’s tough on himself but he needs to focus on the team as well, not just himself. Expect a resurgence from Bautista going into the production before the documentary.

Predictions

Bautista goes bat sheet crazy and tears the cover off the ball. He is going to humble someone pretty soon….Perhaps me. With the way each team has played expect the Royals to take 2 of 3. Then the Blue Jays get time to recover and start out smokin’ in the second half of the season.